Mad Skills

I used to think "BOOM" meant a Very Big Noise. I  used to think "Bush Hog" was some weirdo farm type animal that would hide in the bushes and leap out at people walking past (if the Bush Hog was in a terribly bad mood that day, but I assumed they must be happy farm animals as I had never seen any leaping pigs or hogs).
This goes along with my thinking "Yonder" and "Down the Road" were actual towns as I had driven by String Town and Box Town and what would be so different to have a Down the Road Town? AMIRITE?

I learned all about booms (probably booming)  while Jim worked on the Lane for Alexa's wedding. His vision was a white board fence running up one side of the lane ending at the Barn's field gate. I should mention this is a quarter mile stretch. His vision also included me helping. Post hole tampers and levels became my best friends until I was introduced to The Boom. Coolest. Implement. Ever.

We needed The Boom to lift and carry rail road ties from the front field where they were dropped, around the ceremony site's field, past another field, through the barn's field, and finally to the far end of the lane, skirting the fence rows to keep the fields and lane pretty. These were interesting trips around the fields with a slight element of danger, what with this heavy pair of rail road ties swinging precariously behind us.

Once we got the tractor close to where a tie would be dropped the boom lowered the tie (snort-lowered the boom) to the ground and then Jim and I took it from there, placing them and making them level. Jim's vision had included a perfectly level fence and a level lane, which meant he had days and days of digging into the bank preparing it for the ties, and getting the lane smooth and flat for grass.

It was superfantastic when he was finished. The boards were all painted once installed, the plants grew back in the garden where they had been dug up, and as an added attraction, Jim took time out to make rail road planting beds near the steps he dug into the bank.

One man, the help of one minion for two days, and two or three weeks. Memory fades. Highly worth it though. This was taken shortly after he sowed seed in the lane, about ten minutes after putting away his shovel, and before the glass of Iced Tea. Note the fence going out of sight. Sigh...

Photo: Jenny Lindsey Photography